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Old 11-10-2007, 02:39 PM
 
2,589 posts, read 8,612,667 times
Reputation: 2644

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Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia View Post
Yes, you'll find then in front of Home Depot at 6:00am and they share a 1 bedroom apartment with 6 other people.
exactly. i don't understand why anyone is giving this young man the impression that if he moves here and gets a roommate, his LA dream/fanstasy will become a reality although he is planning to come with a high-school diploma and a sub-standard housing budget. 18-year-old high-school graduates are not candidates for the kind of jobs for which there is out-of-state recruiting, so i'm going to go out on a limb and predict that he won't even have a job, either. when he gets one, it probably won't pay more than twelve bucks an hour, if he's lucky. that's less than two grand a month (before taxes), at least half of which he will need for rent to share a two-BR in an un(gang)infested area of west LA where the neighbors speak english.

let's keep it real: this is NO WAY to begin life in LA. people in his age group are notoriously unreliable about things like paying bills because they don't make a lot of money (no experience; no education; no skills), and the little they make they often prefer to spend on things less mundane than rent and electricity. when the roomie bails and the next month's rent is due, he cannot go to the landlord and say "here's my half," and expect to still have a place to live three days later. what then? move in some other unreliable kid he doesn't know, and repeat the scene three months later?

i understand the desire to escape an uninspiring hometown the minute one finishes high-school, but this is not the way to go. i've heard the "wait to qualify for in-state tuition and THEN go to school" tale many times, and it rarely works out that way. the kids who are serious about that tend to apply to school and get admitted, then suck up the extra cost of out-of-state tuition without parental support for the first year of college while living off campus to establish residency. those who try to do it the other way around usually end up working and the minute they earn whatever qualifies as "good money" in their young minds, all plans to go to college go out the window. i know you might think that you'll be different, and you might be, but the odds simply aren't in your favor.

if your vocational interest is in pharmacy, why not keep your part-time pharmacy job at home, and complete your pre-pharm requirements at a local two-year college, and apply to pharmacy school at USC (one of the best in the country)? it's a private school, so in-state tuition is a non-issue, and student loans are abundant. you'll have great job opportunities when you're finished, and i bet your mom will be a lot less nervous about your moving to LA if you come with a goal and a plan, instead of a dream and an "itch". just a thought...

Last edited by katenik; 11-10-2007 at 03:10 PM..
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Old 11-10-2007, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Burbank, CA
65 posts, read 245,291 times
Reputation: 38
Hey, good for you!
Well, pharm techs don't make much more than that here, but the fact that you have experience will get you a little more. I would try Walgreens or CVS. I know my niece in Tuson, AZ was making 14 an hour with them an a superviser/clerk.
Glendale and Burbank are good cities, I live in Burbank. You will find the city next door, North Hollywood to be more affordable. Just be sure you check out the neighborhood (street), if it seems nice and clean, you're ok.
Renting a room is always an option. Like the other person said, check out craigslist, do not commit to an apartment until you've seen it.
We have lots of restaurants, waiting tables will always pay the rent out here.
feel free to email me about specifics in the Valley.
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Old 11-10-2007, 04:23 PM
 
635 posts, read 1,742,339 times
Reputation: 112
move here and if you can't afford it move back. You're a young guy, it's not like your bogged down with a family, you can perfectly find a blue collar job in tuscaloosa if you have to head back. Your eighteen years old, you'll probably not get this opportunity again to travel to such a great city such as Los Angeles. You can move here and move back and still be financially healthy.
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Old 11-10-2007, 10:38 PM
 
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL (NoHo MAY 2008!!!)
46 posts, read 143,664 times
Reputation: 30
Hey thank you all for replying. And for those who are telling me that it's just a dream and I won't make it and I'm just 18 years old and that I'll come out there and blow my money on things that i shouldn't and then not be able to pay my rent....you're completely wrong. I may just be 18 years old but I'm not your average dumb, irresponsible, naive, 18 year old. First off, I REFUSE to fail. I will work from sunup to sundown if i means I will have a place to stay for another month and will not have to come crawling back to my mama in Bama because I couldn't make it. She believes I'm gonna come out here and end up living under a bridge..but refuse to.

Secondly, I'm not stupid. I wouldn't come out there completely blindsided by a big dream I have. If i do get a roommate, I'm not going to be the only name on that lease..their's will be too and if they decide to skip out one month and leave..you can bet your butt I'll see them in court the following week for breach of contract! I believe the old saying that all a Man has is his WORD. If I say I'm going to stay here and pay rent for 6 months then I will do it and I expect other people keep their word too.

So please don't think I'm some immature teenager who is going to come out there and end up not being able to support myself and ends up moving back home in 6 months or less..because I DO NOT FAIL! I may have big dreams and maybe a false perception of what I believe LA to be, but if a reality check is what I need then I will get it once I get there. I pay for everything I own. My mom would gladly pay for things for me but I realized when i first got a job that in two years I would be in LA, not knowing a soul, with no one to rely on but myself and I decided to start supporting myself. I pay my cell phone bill on time every month ($150), I pay my car insurance on time every 6 months($636), I've never bounced a check in my life, and I don't waste my money on stupid things.(Well there are those exceptions every once in awhile! lol) So I thank you all for your concerns about me being so young in a place thats so "harsh" but I will be A-OK lol. Where there is a will there is ALWAYS a way!

**Oh and I've researched a tiny bit more and realized you guys are right about the whole "nice and cheap not existing in west LA" so i concluded that "the Valley" is the best way to go. I'm thinking Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Glendale, North Hollywood, or Studio City would be my top neighborhoods.

Last edited by CourtneyW; 11-10-2007 at 10:51 PM..
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Old 11-10-2007, 11:36 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,332,994 times
Reputation: 7585
Quote:
Originally Posted by CourtneyW View Post
If i do get a roommate, I'm not going to be the only name on that lease..their's will be too and if they decide to skip out one month and leave..you can bet your butt I'll see them in court the following week for breach of contract! I believe the old saying that all a Man has is his WORD. If I say I'm going to stay here and pay rent for 6 months then I will do it and I expect other people keep their word too.
You know what a judgment's worth? Nothing if you can't find them or they just won't pay. And you're still left finding other living arrangements.
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Old 11-11-2007, 12:44 AM
 
Location: NYC
1,213 posts, read 3,597,345 times
Reputation: 1254
I don't think anyone's trying to discourage you from fulfilling your dream. They're just trying to give you advice to help make your experience in LA a positive one, rather than a miserable one.
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Old 11-11-2007, 01:57 AM
 
Location: Henderson NV
1,135 posts, read 1,198,132 times
Reputation: 82
What exactly is the reason for your drive to be there? What is your dream?
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Old 11-11-2007, 01:55 PM
 
142 posts, read 753,400 times
Reputation: 46
I think you have the right attitude. It's going to be extremely tough, but go for it! You still have about six months before you move... If I were you, I would save as much money as possible before moving. DON'T move unless you have at least $6,000 saved, which won't last long but will give you a good start. Good luck! :-)
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Old 11-11-2007, 05:12 PM
 
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL (NoHo MAY 2008!!!)
46 posts, read 143,664 times
Reputation: 30
EscapeCalifornia: Well i guess i'll cross that bridge if it comes my way...no use worrying about it now. When the time comes i'll figure out what to do like I always do.

Matt345
: Yea I know, and I'm grateful for all the advice I get. I just didn't want people to think I had my head in the clouds about this move. I confident in my decision.

Milquetoast
: Haha..I was REALLY hoping no one would ask this. I don't like lying so I guess I'll tell you. You're probably gonna laugh when I say this lol. I want to be an Actor...I know i know i know there are thousands of unemployed actors in LA, living paycheck to paycheck, most never landing a secure acting job and most waiting tables just to scrape by. I know it's a struggle. I know probably 95% of the people who come there be an actor/actress ends up moving back home or somewhere else to find a stable secure job. And even after knowing all of this...it still doesn't hinder my decision to move there. I'm telling you when you have the acting hole in your soul, there is nothing that can fill it but acting. The thought of auditioning, getting call-backs, getting rejected, reading scripts, getting in front of the camera, the whole process makes my heart race with excitement. I want to feel the rejection, the acceptance, the rush of getting in front of an audience, the tingling feeling you get when you actually get deep into the character and forget that you're acting. It's like a call you can't ignore! I'm telling you when in it's in your soul you cannot ignore it. My mom actually doesn't know this is the reason I want to move here..she thinks it's just for college..which it is somewhat...during the year that I'm there waiting to qualify for residency i want to act as much as I can and if it doesn't work out I can at least say I gave it a shot...I would hate be 80 years old and looking back on my life wondering what my life would've been like if I had gave acting a shot. I would not be the cliche' "aspiring actor" in Los Angeles. I WILL make something of myself out there. lol

HotFudge: Thanks! I think I can come up with $6000 before I move..I forgot that my grandfather has always given his grandchildren $1,500 when they graduate to get a start in life. So that plus my savings should come close to that hopefully! Today at work I could think of nothing else except California! Like it's cold here and I kept picturing the heat and beaches of LA...6 months and 9 days!!!!!
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Old 11-11-2007, 05:24 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,332,994 times
Reputation: 7585
Quote:
Originally Posted by CourtneyW View Post
I would not be the cliche' "aspiring actor" in Los Angeles. I WILL make something of myself out there. lol
That's what they all say. No one comes to LA planning to fail, but it happens a lot. You'd better start studying up on wine so at least you can work at a nicer restaurant.
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